The festival was the final showcase for the two-year £180,000 Dance4Life project which aims to increase the number of adults involved in dancing.

Mrs Chantrey, from Low Barlings, near Wragby, was among scores of people who tried out taster sessions in different styles.

She and other dancers from clubs across the county also gave demonstrations to spectators.

Mrs Chantry, a former horse riding instructor, has been attending zumba classes in Bardney for just over a year.

"For me, it helps with upper body muscles and strength and it's a good laugh," she said.

"I can do everything from the waist up.

"The festival was great fun and I tried medieval, salsa, rock 'n' roll and Bollywood dancing."

Mrs Chantrey attended the festival with her classmate and friend Lyn Walley, 56, from Southrey, whose husband is paraplegic.

"Dancing for me is escapism from life for an hour, especially if I'm tired at home," said Mrs Walley.

"It's exercise and a great lot of fun and I would recommend it to anyone."

The festival began with an event at the New Life Church and the Healthy Hub in Lincoln on November 17, meanwhile ceilidhs were held in Spilsby, Binbrook, Holbeach, Scotter and Lincoln the following day.

Musicians Alan Morris and Kathleen Berg, from Musick Rediscover'd, who perform music from the 1500s to the 1800s, saw the festival as a good networking opportunity.

"What we want to do more of is music for dancing which is why we attended the event to meet dancers from Lincolnshire," said Dr Morris, a retired university molecular biology lecturer.

Giving sessions in Scottish country dancing was Ray Hunter, 79, from Sudbrooke, who has been a dancer for 60 years.

"I come from the Borders and our style of dancing is what you would see at ceilidhs, for example, the Gay Gordans and the Dashing White Sergeant," said Mr Hunter, a former BT engineer.

"We enjoy the music and dancing keeps us mentally and physically active.

"It's nice to come to these events to show people what our dances are all about and we would like more younger adults to take it up."

Keyna Paul, director of the charity Lincolnshire Dance which runs the Dance4Life project, said: "We wanted to offer something that would celebrate our two-year project and give everyone the chance to have a go at different dances from Scottish country dance to salsa.

"Since the programme launched, 4,500 people have participated in dance classes at some point, with 500 classes being provided, which I think speaks to the demand there was in the county.

"We're delighted with how things have gone since we launched the programme; we've seen class leaders go from teaching to a room with one or two people to packed classes as word spread that they were available."